One of the principal attractions of bedded vehicles is their utility in storing and hauling a variety of cargo such as materials, equipment, tools, vehicles (e.g., ATVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc.) or other cargo items. Because of this utility, bedded vehicles have gained acceptance for a variety of classes of customers and applications. For example, outdoorsmen such as hunters and campers may use a pickup truck to haul an ATV, camping equipment, hunting equipment and game. Other individuals may use a bedded truck to haul tools, groceries and other merchandise, furniture and other items as needs arise. A variety of workmen, such as electricians, plumbers, network installation and repair technicians, etc., may use bedded trucks to store, organize and haul a collection of tools, parts and equipment. Indeed, employers may operate large fleets of such vehicles.
Bedded trucks as delivered by the manufacturer today are not necessarily well-suited to address all the needs of various users as noted above. The case of pickup trucks is illustrative. The beds of pickup trucks typically define a large, unitary cargo space. Though a flexible or hard cover may be provided, either as original equipment or as an after-market product, as a practical matter, such covers are often either not used at all or only used between hauling occasions. Pickup trucks are thus well-suited to certain applications such as hauling bulk materials or vehicles, equipment or furniture that can be secured to the deck or bed sidewalls.
However, pickup trucks are less well-suited for other applications where it is desired to collect, organize and haul a variety of items. For example, outdoorsmen and workmen as noted above may have a variety of tools, equipment, parts, etc. to collect in the bed. A large, unitary bed makes it hard to organize and secure such items. Moreover, an open bed may expose such items to the elements. In addition, an open bed leaves such items visible to and accessible by passersby, thus raising a security concern. Even if a cover is available, the cover is often inconvenient to use and may allow visibility to such items.
Various products have been proposed to address some of these issues. For example, a large after-market has arisen for tool boxes that can be installed on pickup truck beds. Typically, these are large boxes (e.g., extending across most of the width and/or length of the bed) that are secured to the bed or bed sidewalls by bolts or the like. These tool boxes are effective in securing tools but generally have limited utility for organizing and storing a collection of items. Moreover, installation may require penetration of deck surfaces or otherwise entail significant effort. Accordingly, these tool boxes are typically installed on a substantially permanent basis. In addition, because the boxes usually consist of one large open storage area and are affixed to the truck bed, a workman may be required to make multiple trips between the toolbox and a worksite as items from the toolbox are required.
Some workmen who require access to a substantial inventory of parts and equipment use customized vans or pickups with toppers to provide greater storage customization. However, in some cases, these vehicles allow passersby to view inside, raising security concerns. In addition, these vehicles may be inconvenient to use as a workman may be required to go into and out of the vehicle many times to retrieve needed items. They can also be inconvenient for fleet managers who need to keep all of the vehicles stocked. For example, if the vehicles are deployed for a series of jobs each day, the vehicles may not be available to be stocked for a day's jobs until the end of the previous work day.